1) The weakest part of a JK front end (aside from the housing and 'C' issues), 30 or 44, is the stock shafts. The addition of a good shaft, such as an RCV (not a cheap import 4340 chromolly) makes a 30 much stronger but with the addition of a locker, the R&P becomes the weak link. So much weaker, in fact, that R&P failures are not uncommon. When a good shaft is added to a 44, the system is fairly balanced and failures of any type are rather rare. In this situation it appears like the factory locker is becoming the weak link.

2) Crawlers or more aggressive wheelers frequently have equal set ups front and rear diffs. Or are they equal? They're not in many cases. For many people a high pinion 60 fromt and rear is the ultimate for what they do. Are they equal? No. A HP front is stronger than a HP rear because the front is driving on the drive side of the gear while the rear is being driven on the coast side of the gear. Most people choose HP 60s for clearance. In the rear axle, a HP 60 is adequate for a large percentage of users. In the front a HP 60 is usually overkill (for strength) but it is highly desirable due to its DS ground clearance (and in the case of the ProRock 60-or 44- smoother, smaller housing). So why to people go to 60s up front if they're frequently overkill? Axle shaft size. The larger axle shafts are much stronger than even the best 44 shaft.

In the OE 4x4 truck world, axle shaft strength is not nearly as important as housing load carrying capacity. Tire size severely limits the amount of torque the axle shafts will see and few rigs ever spend much time in severe duty low range 4 wheel drive.

3) I love front digs. I use them much more in the woods than the rocks. They allow you to pivot around instead of backing up. In a long rig like an Unlimited they would be an early option for me. You'll also love 2 low. Regardless of locker type, 2 low is much easier on steering in the tight spots. I doubt you'd be able to pull yourself up over a rock as the front would be unloaded and, even locked, you probably wouldn't have enough traction to pull you over.

FWIW- if you break a rear diff you may still have to pull parts. A buddy of mine destroyed his T-case when his rear pinion locked up after a R&P failure. He was in 2 front only and the tires turning the diff caused a major issue and the pinion locked in a very high traction spot. The DS held up, the T-case grenaded.

 

Good point. When I read this I got an image of doing tractor brakes on the rear axle via the e-brake cables. A custom twin handle e-brake set-up in a 4 door with front digs would give a dude bragging rights......

 

VERY VERY good info Totally agree!